Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
Fifteen years ago, if someone in Chattanooga asked about “lager,” the immediate response would have something to do with lumberjacks.
“Stout”? Well, that must mean my Uncle Billy Bob, ’cause he’s a big ol’ boy. “Porter”? Isn’t that a person who carries your luggage. “Hefeweizen”? Blank stare.
These days, though, most folks — those of the drinking persuasion — have a general idea of what most of these terms mean. For those of you who don’t, they’re types of beer.
For beer lovers
Breweries * Big River Grille & Brewing Works, 222 Broad St., 267-2739. * Terminal Brewhouse, 6 E. 14th St., 752-8090. * Chattanooga Brewing Co., 1804 Chestnut St., 702-9958. * Moccasin Bend Brewing Co., 4015 Tennessee Ave. 821-6392. * McHale’s Brewhouse, 724 Ashland Terrace, 877-2124. Tasting * Heaven & Ale, 304 Cherokee Blvd., 602-8286. * World of Beer, 412 Market St., 668-6808. * Brewhaus, 224 Frazier Ave., 423-531-8490. * The Growler, 1101 Hixson Pike, 785-1005. Festivals * Southern Brewers Festival: southernbrewersfestival.org * Chattanooga Craft Beer Festival: rhizomeproductions.com
The Hamilton County Highway Department reports drainage tile replacement work has now been completed and the Ooltewah-Georgetown Road is now open.
No doubt, folks around the Chattanooga area have been drinking and making their own beer (and whiskey and moonshine and wine) for centuries, if not millenia. Pretty much around the time that any culture starts making bread, it also discovers that the yeast used for baking can create tasty concoctions.
And like much of the United States, Chattanooga has been bitten by the craft beer bug; breweries, tasting rooms, even brew-oriented festivals are now familiar parts of the community.
It first hit town in 1993, when Big River Grille & Brewing Works opened on Broad Street — and is still there. Now there are several breweries in Chattanooga, including Big River, Terminal Brewhouse, Chattanooga Brewing Co., Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. and McHale’s Brewhouse. Each has a stable of beers regularly on the menu — from lagers and IPAs, to stouts and ales — plus a selection of seasonal brews that are tapped at various times during the year.
At last year’s Chattanooga Craft Beer Festival, Jeremy Raper, assistant brewer at Chattanooga Brewing, said the local beer community “is coming along really well.” Sure, he said, you can drink beer made by in vast quantities by massive corporations and sold worldwide, but you can drink craft beers, too.
“The difference in our microbrews [is] that we craft with love,” he said, grinning.
Big River, Terminal Brewhouse, located right next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Chattanooga Brewing on the North Shore and McHale’s near Hixson have food menus to wash down with your beer; mostly what you’d expect — appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, some salads.
Moccasin Bend, located in the basement of a thick-through-the-shoulders building with granite walls in St. Elmo, only offers popcorn, but you can bring your own food — and your dog, too, for that matter. It’s hardly flashy; online reviews have described it as a “hipster dive” and “feeling like drinking beer in your uncle’s basement.” But it’s got foosball, corn hole, darts and sometimes live bands.
Along with the actual breweries, Chattanooga also has several bars where you can sample dozens of craft beers from around the U.S. and the world. At Heaven and Ale, World of Beer, Brewhaus and the Growler, you can sample from dozens of draft beers in a glass; several offer even more selections in a bottle. Each one also offers food, although the Growler’s menu is pretty limited.
And most are very recent additions. Brewhaus has been around since 2011, but the others have all opened since 2013.
“It’s a statement about the growth in the market,” Growler owner Anthony Bond told the Times Free Press. “I think anything that fosters the craft beer industry is positive and I don’t think the market is saturated. A lot of these establishments will have a very localized clientele. I don’t think you’ll go more than three or four miles for one of these.”
But the beer doesn’t stop flowing there. Chattanooga’s love of all things brewed has led to a couple of festivals and one pub-crawl business have popped up.
In May, about 40 craft breweries descend on the First Tennessee Pavilion for the Chattanooga Craft Beer Festival, held May 10 at the First Tennessee Pavilion. Begun three years ago, the event allows attendees to sample plenty of brews (of course) but also holds seminars for homebrewers or those who just want to develop a more finely tuned beer palate. Music and food are also served.
The big daddy of beer festivals, however, is the Southern Brewer’s Festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014. Down on the 21st Century Waterfront on the Tennessee River, it features more than 100 different beers from more than 40 breweries and also has killer music. Last year, it expanded from one to two days and its musical headliners were moe. and Gov’t Mule.
If you’re feeling up to a bit of exercise, Pints and Pedals can be a fun trip. It doesn’t brew its own beer but it will take you — or you will take yourself, actually — to some places that do. Chattanooga Brewing, Terminal Brewhouse and Big River are among the 20 places on its list of tour stops.
You’ll work up a thirst because you and 14 other folks will be providing all the energy to get from place to place. Yep, you’re on a 15-seat “bike” that you’ll be pedaling. During the two-hour tour, you’ll stop at between three to five bars and restaurants. Or you can make up your own personal tour.
Contact Shawn Ryan at sryan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.